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Author Topic: Timing Chain Replacement.... or not  (Read 5286 times)

ak96ss

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« on: September 14, 2006, 08:48:33 PM »
I purchased my 318is just over 3 years ago, from a used car dealer.  No maintenance records at all, but it looked to be relatively well maintained, so I went for it.  Over the course of the last three years I have done a TON of stuff, mostly maintenance, to bring it to as close to new as I can without replacing body panels or (too much of) the interior. New rubber ALL around (and I mean everywhere - tires, bushings, fuel lines, door seals...), Treehouse Racing CABs, powdercoated the rear subframe carrier, control arms, and diff cover, as well as the sway bars and the strut housings, stereo, etc.

I figured that, based on not knowing what had been done and the spate of recent failures posted here, I should go ahead and replace the timing chain and all the attendant sprockets, guide rails, tensioner, etc. And, as long as I am in there, may as well replace the water pump and t-stat, as well as all the coolant hoses. The radiator looks to have been replaced shortly before I bought the car.

I spent the better part of my last weekend flushing the cooling system (repeatedly), then draining it and pulling the radiator, shroud, and fan, and getting prepped for the timing chain replacement by rereading all the various guides and instructions people have posted.

So, today, in the rain, I finally get around to yanking the valve cover and upper and lower timing chain covers.  The vibration damper gave me about 40 minutes of grief before it decided to come off, but, other than that, everything has gone well.  I dropped the alternator off at a shop this morning to get it rebuilt, and figure I can be well on the way to getting all the other pieces off by this afternoon.

Water pump comes out just like it is supposed to, and looks surprisingly good... hmmm.

Pull the upper timing case off, pull the lower timing case off, and....



Damned if it all doesn't look brand new.


The sprocket teeth all look just like the teeth on my new sprockets. The guide rails show NO sign of wear, no cracking, no nothing. Chain looks great.


:eek:

I'll post pics up tomorrow morning - maybe I am just being optimistic, but it looks like I can button up without doing anything except checking the torque on the sprocket bolts. The lower passenger side sprocket bolt was loose (I turned it with my hands), but other than that, it all looks like I just redid it.

Now if only it hadn't been raining all day!  I think I caught a cold...


If this turns out as well as I think it did, I may have all the hard parts for sale at a pretty good price in the near future.
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John in MD
uh, it's a '91 318is, like everyone else...

bullmand

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #1 on: September 14, 2006, 09:09:28 PM »
I'm going to hijack your thread a little for two questions. Where are you located in MD, and where did you have your powdercoating done?
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ak96ss

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #2 on: September 14, 2006, 09:48:45 PM »
I'm in Bowie.  Had some of the powdercoating done at AFI in Jessup, intersection of routes 32 and 1, the rest done by a guy in VA whose name escapes me. I will look it up.
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John in MD
uh, it's a '91 318is, like everyone else...

ak96ss

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #3 on: September 15, 2006, 08:28:44 AM »
OK, here are some HUGE pictures.









Thoughts? Aside from the crappy looking thermostat, which is coming out as soon as I find the replacement I bought, and the lovely coating of varnish on everything...  BTW, any suggestions on a product to clean the varnish out of the motor?
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John in MD
uh, it's a '91 318is, like everyone else...

Zoso

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #4 on: September 15, 2006, 01:36:51 PM »
John,

Those parts look immaculate!

Some questions:
How did you get the crankshaft bolt off?
Do you have any special tools to hold the camshafts so the timing doesn't get fouled up?
What was the trick you used to get the vibration dampener off?


My M42 (198K) has started to get a rattling sound and a new tensioner didn't fix it.  I'm starting to suspect the chain is stretched or the guides are worn... so I'll have to do this procedure shortly.

If you're still looking to sell the parts, send me a PM and let me know the parts you have and the price.
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dude8383

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #5 on: September 15, 2006, 02:53:31 PM »
that lower sprocket needs to be changed.
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tim_s

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2006, 03:10:33 PM »
agreed, bottom sprocket has quite a bit of wear. everything looks ok all in all though, you should be happy. i'd change the chain (you might as well if doing the sprocket), tensioner and bottom sprocket if i were you. reckon the side guides will prob have some wear too (they normally do, can't tell in the pics) so are worth changing while there too if you have them.
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nickmpower

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #7 on: September 15, 2006, 03:15:52 PM »
yeah you can tell the lower sprocket is origonal
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ak96ss

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #8 on: September 15, 2006, 04:05:19 PM »
The bottom sprocket being the very bottom one, right?  The one on the crank? Or the deflection wheel on the passenger side?

The side guides look new - I can't feel any wear on them at all, but will look more closely when I pull the chain off.

Zoso - I used my impact wrench, which I suspect means that the crank bolt had not been properly torqued down, since at max psi and max power to the wrench it should only develop about 250 or so ft-lbs, and it zipped that bolt right out.

I have the cam holder from Catalyst Racing (http://www.catalystracing.net) - $45 shipped, quite a deal.

The vibration damper just required that I soak it in PB Blaster and then gradually work it off the snout - it didn't want to come off, but by tapping lightly in concentric circles with a rubber mallet, I eventually convinced it to see the light!

Given the need to replace at least one of those sprockets, I'll let you know what I have available once I get done.
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John in MD
uh, it's a '91 318is, like everyone else...

sheepdog

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2006, 11:57:25 PM »
The cam sprockets are the later ones from the e36 if I remember correctly. I can check mine. Definately newer than the car though.

The lower sprocket is not terrible, but bad enough. I have seen worse.

The idler pulley I would change since you are there. It is not bad but does show signs of wear.
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Febi Guibo

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2006, 07:30:37 AM »
if your car were the same scale as the photos, it would be 300 feet high... and headed for tokyo!!
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ak96ss

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #11 on: September 26, 2006, 01:47:59 PM »
OK, update time!

I'm just replacing all of the sprockets and the chain, since I have to replace the two bottom sprockets anyway. Once I got them off, it is very apparent that they needed to be replaced.

I will have a few odds and ends left over - I'm keeping my original upper and lower guides on, as they show no sign of wear. The upper sprockets look very good, FWIW, but I put my new ones on anyway.

So, on to the point of this - has anyone had difficulty getting the sprockets centered in the slotted holes? I am having a b!$%* of a time getting them to do that - they are perhaps 1 mm or so off, but one is centered the other not. Any opinions on this? It doesn't look to be enough room for one more link of the chain...
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John in MD
uh, it's a '91 318is, like everyone else...

Ramblin MAn

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2006, 02:25:19 PM »
Think the chain may have stretched on you?
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ak96ss

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #13 on: September 26, 2006, 02:44:16 PM »
Quote from: Ramblin MAn
Think the chain may have stretched on you?


Not unless it stretched in the box - this is the new chain.
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We're here to preserve democracy, not practice it.
[INDENT]- Captain Frank Ramsey, Crimson Tide[/INDENT]
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John in MD
uh, it's a '91 318is, like everyone else...

edhchoe

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Timing Chain Replacement.... or not
« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2006, 01:32:46 AM »
You guys are just all amazing.... taking the engine apart like that.  I will have to do that too eventually.
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